K. N. Narayana Murthy

K. N. Narayana Murthy (known by the pseudonym MaNaNi) was an Indian artist whose work fused mysticism, intuition, and abstraction. Born into a large family, he gradually lost his hearing at a young age, a condition he came to view as an advantage that allowed him to create in silence and concentration. His artistic journey began in childhood, when he became fascinated with symmetrical ink blots—forms that would later define his lifelong practice.

Murthy’s chosen name, MaNaNi, combines Kannada words meaning “psychic” and “hidden,” reflecting his belief that his art channels unseen spiritual realities. Using folded paper to create random symmetrical stains, he discerned visionary figures and refined them with minimal intervention. His works often revealed manifestations of Hindu deities, scenes from the Ramayana and Mahabharata, Christian symbols, or fantastical creatures—images he regarded as revelations from a transpersonal source rather than deliberate inventions.

Over the decades, Murthy experimented with oil paints, pigments, and printing inks enriched with materials like granite powder and rangoli, integrating texture and ritual symbolism. A mechanical engineer by profession, he devoted himself fully to painting after early retirement in 2000, continuing to explore art as a mystical act of service until his death.

The Collection of Mediumistic Art (CoMA) is a private collection assembled over 40 years by psychologist Elmar R. Gruber, whose lifelong interests in art, transpersonal psychology, and paranormal experience converged in his fascination with mediumistic creation. Initially drawn to the phenomenon as a student in the late 1970s, Gruber began acquiring works not out of a desire to form a collection, but to live among them and study the unique circumstances of their creation. His curiosity about the shared themes, symbols, and styles among artists who had no contact with one another—often separated by time, geography, and culture—eventually inspired him to formalize his holdings into a cohesive collection. Along the way, Gruber developed close relationships with several mediumistic artists, including Narciso Bressanello, Milly Canavero, Zory Lovari, and K. N. Narayana Murthy. Today, the CoMA includes over 1,700 works by more than 60 artists, revealing striking resonances and hidden connections across decades of spirit-inspired creativity.